Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Sugar

There has been a seismic shift in how our family celebrates children's birthdays.

Last night, our grandson celebrated his third year on this glorious planet by inviting the 200 children (and their parents) who live on his cul-de-sac for cake and ice cream. 

At 7 p.m. on a Tuesday.

No party dresses.

No bow ties.

No goodie bags.

No organized games.

No scary clowns.

No (wait for it)....

presents.

Isn't that brilliant?

Just a dozen kids ramping up on cake from Costco and scoops of vanilla ice cream. And something called Fruitables, which is juice mixed with kale or shallots, possibly. (I may have read the label wrong, but it's definitely some sort of revolutionary blend-in-a-box.)

But what I loved, loved, loved about the party is that after dessert, the kids ran around and played with each other in the last of the evening light. The din was remarkable, but not the usual angina-causing chaos that has reigned at nearly every party we've ever hosted.

A bit of sugar, a ton of fun and many friends. About as stress-free of a party as you can imagine.

Happy Birthday, cherished Zach.


And way to go, daughter of mine, for going t0 the heart of the birthday -- celebrating a child's most special day surrounded by family, many friends and enough dinosaur cake for everyone.

16 comments:

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Awe that is great! My Grandson will celebrate his 1st Birthday soon and my daughter has planned a fun celebration! She says the next parties will be simple.

Lynn said...

Sugar, Aw, Honey, Honey! Very nice! No Chucky Cheese (Clay's worst nightmare), no scary clowns, no cheezy magicians. Imagine, letting kids PLAY OUTSIDE as a means to celebrate a birthday and the joys of just being a kid! Genius! Give that mother a GOLD STAR. You done good!

Maureen Wyatt said...

I like the simplicity of that and I bet no one ended up in tears, as usual. You have a very smart daughter! ~ Maureen

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

I think this is the kind of party kids really want anyway, just cake and ice-cream and time to play together.
It would be nice if more parents would do this.

mrs. c said...

I think this is a great way to celebrate a wonderful day! I would always make a huge sign so when my kids came down the stairs, it was waiting. I would also fix them a very special breakfast. We had parties with games and fun activities but I never spent over 20 dollars on any party. I think we have gotten too obsessed with who can throw the grandest party!

Unknown said...

This was such a great idea! It sounds like it was a lot of fun too!

To the Toy Box and Beyond said...

cake and ice cream what a great way to celebrate a great day

Ames said...

Wow that's a lot of kids. I bet the giggles and laghter and screams of joy was deafening! I guess if you are going to throw a party that the way to do it!~Ames

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

I do something similar at Christmas time, just lots of fun food and all the neighborhood kids and my grandchildren...

It's so much fun! The kids probably had an absolute ball...

anitamombanita said...

sounds like the best kind of party for a 3 year old...before they care anything about decorations or all the other stuff. We could all learn from him!

Carol said...

It would be great if this concept could be carried over to other holiday celebrations. No fussing over who bought what for whom, just food, the presence of people you care about, and lots of laughter.

That dinosaur cake looks absolutely delicious. Happy Birthday, little man!

Sharon said...

Great idea Betsy!

21 Wits said...

there's nothing better than cake and ice cream to celebrate right! With friends and family all around too!

Cheryl D. said...

What a fun, easy way to celebrate a birthday.

nick said...

What's that? Kids running around, socializing - without electronic aids? Amazing!

Jenny said...

That Sounds like a very Special way to celebrate!!!

Thanks for Sharing it with us for the letter "S"!

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